intervention

kick your grass addiction!

I must confess that it was difficult at first for me to let go of my attachment to my front lawn.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. —Rachel Carson

baby steps

one blade at a time

One day, while walking through my 1940s neighborhood, I was amazed and encouraged to see that so many homeowners had chosen to transform their yard space into attractive, water-conserving, and eco-friendly yards.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished— Lao Tzu

playtime

explore the possibilities

After years of training and work experience as a landscape architect, I finally purchased my first home—a real fixer-upper with a horrible yard. I couldn’t wait to get started on the garden

Design is the method of putting form and content together…Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.— Paul Rand

Design Principles

Bring out Your Inner Picasso

I’ve always loved to draw, paint, and create artistic works. Looking at the world around me and recreating it in drawings or paintings brought me great joy.

The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.

— Claude Monet

make the space

create the outdoor room

I remember the beautiful swing my grandmother had on her porch. In the summertime, we spent many a warm evening visiting, eating ice cream, and watching the fireflies.

Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.

— Jimmy Carter

your personal oasis

choose your plants

In college, a new world opened up to me. I took a plant identification class & discovered for the first time the names of the plants I grew up with. It was like meeting old friends.

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold & silver — Martin Luther

accessories

furnish the room

In this chapter, I provide some basic terms and guidelines to help you choose more eco-friendly materials, products, and finishes.

After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and so on—have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear—what remains? Nature remains. — Walt Whitman

time to get dirty!

installation and maintenance

I’ve noticed something magical about working in the garden. The smell of fresh earth, the warmth of the sun on my back, and the physical exertion all reaffirm my presence in the natural world.

A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race.— Wendell Berry

pay it forward

beyond your property line

I was eight years old when John F. Kennedy gave his famous speech, stating, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Even at that young age, I felt the words stir something inside me.

We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.— Native American Proverb

Look Inside the Book

The New American Front Yard

is a compelling manifesto, a visionary design manual, and a practical do-it-yourself guidebook for front yard transformation.

Look through a sample chapter or take a peek at the Table of Contents - here.

Tools & Tips

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Welcome

Welcome to Kiss Your Grass Goodbye.com – a web-based resource for transforming our turf-centric landscapes into exciting, colorful, eco-friendly and restorative spaces. Why replace your lawn? The reasons are many, and are detailed in the The New American Front Yard: Kiss Your Grass Goodbye! by Sarah Carolyn Sutton, Tendril Press publisher. Increasing water shortages, and concerns for the long-term health and environmental effects of the many herbicides and pesticides commonly used to maintain turf lawns are but a few of the reasons Ms. Sutton created her book (click to learn more about the book and a sneak peak inside.

This website is a virtual companion and resource for The New American Front Yard, with resources, lists, a photo gallery and recipes, including Purslane Salsa.

Thanks for visiting. Come back and visit often for updates and to participate in our blog.